Reading An Old Love
There are books so alive that you're always afraid that while you weren't reading, the book has gone and changed, has shifted like a river; while you went on living, it went on living too, and like a river moved on and moved away. No one has stepped twice into the same river. But did anyone ever step twice into the same book?
Have you ever read a book that really got to you? I remember different books that impacted me at certain points in my life. I think of them like old, beloved friends (some are more like boyfriends, I loved them so much!) I sometimes wonder if I re-read them now, would they still feel the same? Would I be in love with them? Would they still make me cry, smile, or feel transported to another world?
Sometimes I think about the feelings I had when I read that certain book, and they keep me from reading the book again. I'm afraid that as I've changed, the book hasn't. Or, maybe the book has changed, and I have gone a different direction. I've purposely avoided books that I held dear in the past, because of this fear that we no longer have our "magic relationship."
Last year, I picked up one of my beloved books, Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson. It used to be my favorite book. (I'm not saying it isn't any more, but I've got a few more that rank up there on top, too.) I remember reading it in school and feeling like no other book has ever reached me, known me, or drawn me in before. I re-read the book a few times as a kid. But, as an adult, I was afraid to.
Then, I did it. I winced, took a deep breath, then read the book.
Guess what?
I still love it! I still feel like I'm in the story, and I still feel the main character's story as if it's my own. Maybe I'm still a lot like I was when I first read the book. So much for growing up!
Here's a challenge to you: Is there a book that meant a lot to you at another time in your life? Read it again and see what it's like.
Have you ever read a book that really got to you? I remember different books that impacted me at certain points in my life. I think of them like old, beloved friends (some are more like boyfriends, I loved them so much!) I sometimes wonder if I re-read them now, would they still feel the same? Would I be in love with them? Would they still make me cry, smile, or feel transported to another world?
Sometimes I think about the feelings I had when I read that certain book, and they keep me from reading the book again. I'm afraid that as I've changed, the book hasn't. Or, maybe the book has changed, and I have gone a different direction. I've purposely avoided books that I held dear in the past, because of this fear that we no longer have our "magic relationship."
Last year, I picked up one of my beloved books, Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson. It used to be my favorite book. (I'm not saying it isn't any more, but I've got a few more that rank up there on top, too.) I remember reading it in school and feeling like no other book has ever reached me, known me, or drawn me in before. I re-read the book a few times as a kid. But, as an adult, I was afraid to.
Then, I did it. I winced, took a deep breath, then read the book.
Guess what?
I still love it! I still feel like I'm in the story, and I still feel the main character's story as if it's my own. Maybe I'm still a lot like I was when I first read the book. So much for growing up!
Here's a challenge to you: Is there a book that meant a lot to you at another time in your life? Read it again and see what it's like.
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